Dr. David Relman on Avian Flu and National Security (Video)

There continues to be a great deal of media attention (for example, here, here and here), and no shortage of angst, around research into avian flu genetically engineered into a form that is more transmissible from mammal to mammal. On the recommendation of the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB), the federal government asked scientific journals not to publish the methodological details of this research, out of concern that this “could enable replication of the experiments by those who would seek to do harm.” The controversial recommendation prompted cries of censorship, and the journals ultimately decided to publish the research in full.

On January 26, the CLB hosted Stanford School of Medicine’s Dr. David Relman to talk about his work as a member of the NSABB. Watch it here.